Tigers head to title game by beating Marshall, 63-51

Josh BrownSports EditorOlney Daily Mail

Wednesday

Jan 23, 2019 at 10:40 AM

Olney and Marshall would battle for the third time this season, and the Lions were hoping the third time would be the charm to get their first win of the year against the Tigers. “Those games are over,” Olney Tiger head coach Rob Flanagan said of the prior two meetings between the Lions and the Tigers. Olney picked up the wins over Marshall 45-33 and 54-33. Flanagan had one simple message for his team. “You just have to beat them one time, this time.” The Tigers did just that with a 63-51 Little Illini Conference Tournament semifinal win over the Lions. Olney (17-4) picked up the hard fought win over Marshall (15-7) to advance to the LIC Tourney Title game. Olney and Marshall would pick up where the previous meeting left off, in a physical battle. “It was a physical game, especially away from the ball,” Flanagan said. Both teams were guarding and playing hard. “On the ball, and away from the ball.” It was a slow start offensively for both teams, as each side tried to establish control of the game early. After a couple of Olney misses and Marshall turnovers, the Lions six-foot-seven center would pick up an offensive rebound and lay the ball in the basket for the first points of the game. Olney quickly answered, and the back-and-forth action early would intensify. “It was intense early,” said Flanagan. “Both teams were a little tight.” Five lead changes and three ties would occur over the last 5:01 of the first period. Every push by one team, was matched by the other. Olney would finally wrestle the lead away with a Brent Hatten three pointer with 1:27 to play. Fellow senior Sutton Dunn followed that with a three pointer, and the 6-0 run gave Olney the lift and the lead. Dunn would split free throws to give Olney a four point advantage. Marshall reserve Kyle Sanders, who nailed a critical buzzer beater to help the Lions advance, converted on a tough turnaround jumper at the horn to cut the lead down to three. Olney would lead 13-10 heading into the second frame. Freshman Chase Travis would give Olney another big lift, putting the ball in the basket on the first possession of the period. Marshall would answer with a three, and the Lions were looking for momentum. Travis and senior Dakotah Brown had back to back plays leading to a six point Olney lead. That would lead to the red hot series of plays by senior Sutton Dunn. Dunn, who put up 19 points and 9 rebounds in the last meeting between the two teams, would explode in the second. Braden Flanagan would throw a no look pass to Dunn in transition for a layup. Jadon Wallace would answer with a three pointer, keeping the Lions close. After a pair of Flanagan free tosses, Dunn would again finish in transition at the rim. The senior would also get open in the open floor and bury a right corner three. Another shot inside, set up this time by Hatten, would cap off Dunn’s nine point second quarter and give Olney a 30-18 lead. “Sutton was really good,” Flanagan said of his senior forward. Marshall would make one last surge on the back of big man Ethan Harper. Harper would make a three point play to cut the game back to single digits. Olney’s big man, Zach Duenas, would celebrate his birthday with a stellar effort as well. Duenas would block two shots and alter many more. The six-foot-eight center would get a shot at the rim off a Chase Travis drive to return Olney to a double figure lead. Olney forced a turnover and turned the ball to Brent Hatten to close the half. Hatten would drive left and pull up, knocking down a jumper over two defenders to give Olney a 36-23 lead at the half. The Tigers would take the 13-point lead on the back of a 9-9 effort from the floor in the second quarter. The second half would start with the Tigers jumping ahead 40-23. The game looked to be falling out of reach for Marshall, but the Lions had one more big push left in them. “They are a good club,” said Flanagan about the Lions. “They have three or four big, strong bodies inside.” Marshall would begin to try and chip away at the Tiger lead, but could not quite get anything flowing. After the midpoint of the third, Jesse Burdick would give the Lions the momentum they needed. The big man converted on two baskets inside and Wallace followed that with a two point hoop to cut the once 17-point advantage down to nine. Chase Travis would answer with a hoop and the harm, to convert on an old fashion three point play. “Our three young guys played really well tonight,” Flanagan said of sophomores Braden Flanagan and Zach Duenas and freshman Chase Travis. Kyle Sanders would get another late quarter hoop, as the game would head into the fourth with Olney holding a 47-37 advantage. Marshall would turn to Sanders again to start the fourth, cutting the Olney lead back down to single digits. The Tigers would hold the advantage, answering every Marshall attempt to get rolling with a comeback stalling basket. Olney would force their way to the foul line by putting pressure on the Lion defense. The Tigers would keep their defensive pressure high and force misses on big possessions. Sophomore guard Braden Flanagan would step up on the glass, pulling down six and some big rebounds down the stretch. “He had some big ones down there,” the Tiger head man said. “He got some timely ones.” Dunn would get a semi-transition shot to fall at the rim from Dunn to help put a dagger in Marshall. The Tiger guards, Dakotah Brown and Braden Flanagan, would handle some extended pressure and get to the foul line to try and put the Lions away. The duo would combine for and 11-12 night from the stripe. Marshall would get a big lift from Daniel Tingley and Ethan Keown. The duo would keep the Lions close enough to still have hope at a comeback. Flanagan would take charge and run the point while the Lions tried to force the ball away from Brown. “I thought he played well tonight,” Olney Tiger head coach Rob Flanagan said of guard Braden Flanagan. “Played a good floor game.” Flanagan, Duenas, and Dunn would put the game out of reach and the Tigers advanced to the LIC Tournament Championship Game with a 63-51 win over the Lions. “It was a heck of an effort,” Flanagan said. “They are really good. Coach Weber has done a good job with them. They guard hard. They are only going to get better.” The Tigers improved to 17-4 on the year while the Lions fall to 15-7. “I have a ton of respect for them. I think their coaching staff has done a really good job. They play really really hard, and they keep coming at you,” Flanagan said. “We were really well prepared and the kids guarded…really good win for us against a good opponent.” OLNEY 63 - MARSHALL 51 OLNEY STATS Points: Sutton Dunn - 19, Braden Flanagan - 12, Dakotah Brown - 10, Chase Travis - 9, Brent Hatten - 7, Zach Duenas - 6 Rebounds: Braden Flanagan - 6, Sutton Dunn - 6, Zach Duenas - 2, Dakotah Brown - 1, Chase Travis - 1, Brent Hatten - 1 Assists: Braden Flanagan - 3, Dakotah Brown - 2, Chase Travis - 2, Brent Hatten - 2, Sutton Dunn - 2, Zach Duenas - 1 Blocks: Zach Duenas - 2 Steals: Chase Travis - 3, Braden Flanagan - 2, Sutton Dunn - 1 MARSHALL STATS Points: Jesse Burdick - 10, Kyle Sanders - 10, Jadon Wallace - 7, Ethan Harper - 7, Daniel Tingley - 6, Isaac Wood - 5, Ethan Keown - 4, Luke Cook - 2 Rebounds: Jesse Burdick - 6, Jadon Wallace - 5, Ethan Harper - 4, Daniel Tingley - 3, Kyle Sanders - 2, Luke Cook - 1, Ethan Keown - 1 Assists: Ethan Keown - 1, Daniel Tingley - 1, Jadon Wallace - 1, Jesse Burdick - 1 Steals: Daniel Tingley - 4, Ethan Harper - 3, Ethan Keown - 1, Isaac Wood - 1 UP NEXT The Olney Tigers will advance into play on Friday for the Little Illini Conference Tournament Championship. Olney will face off with Casey-Westfield in a rematch of one of the Tigers four losses on the year. Casey-Westfield defeated Olney on January 15th, at Casey, 48-37. The Tigers will battle the Warriors with a championship on the line at Flora with a scheduled 8:00 pm game time on Friday, January 25th.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.